Spotlight
by ChloeAngel
Summary: Since Danny's reveal from Phantom Planet, things seem to be going beautifully well for all but a certain individualist. I introduce to you a one-shot about the gang's adjustment to fame, spotlighting Danny and Sam / one-shot / DxS, of course


A/N: Saying that I love Sam Manson (or that I fail at summaries) would be an understatement._ I bring this up this because a good chunk of this story focuses on her, so there's your warning_. Anyway, she's such a lovely muse. Most of my writing and drawings for Danny Phantom are about her or stem from her influence. For me, it's easier to get into her mindset than Danny's, thus she's more fun and comfortable to write for.

I know that, sadly, a number of Phans do not like her (scorn on them D:), but I find her character overwhelmingly inspirable and dimensional nevertheless. I hope you do, too. Writing something centered around her thoughts is always a blast, so I hope you enjoy this :) Enough ranting from me. Bye for now!

* * *

Following the "Danny Phantom saves the earth" incident, the gang's lives, as one would imagine, swerved into a new territory: the one of absolute fame. In whole, it seemed like everybody was fairing nicely - for all but one, at least.

Tucker was upholding his position of the youngest mayor in Amity Park history and had sprouted to developing ghost fighting technology. He succeeded in juggling his school, political, and ghost-hunting duties. Like Danny and Sam, he grew a fan base, too. Tucker was awkward with the female attention at first. After all, no lady ever liked him for him before. He was always stuck in Danny's shadow. After he came into public eye, though, he received the recognition and fangirls that he deserved, and he loved it.

Jazz was known as the guest member of the team and also received much praise. She was extolled for keeping her brother afloat during his struggles that only a family member could relieve. This attention gave her the chance to make her intelligence broadcasted worldwide. Ivy league colleges fell to her feet, begging her to honor their halls with her presence, and Jazz was absolutely giddy. She easily got into the college of her dreams without spending a dime. It was Harvard's pleasure to have her, after all. She was Jasmine Fenton, co-defender of the world and daughter of the nation's renown ghost fighting scientists.

Jack and Maddie's reputation after Danny's reveal did a one-eighty. Suddenly a wave of respect washed over all those that had doubted their skills. Scientific and paranormal communities nominated them as great minds in their fields, subsiding the fact that they still didn't technically meet the par. Nonetheless, the Fenton parents did advance greatly. By Danny's stories and ghostly knowledge, Jack and Maddie grew not only in their abilities but also, and most importantly, in their relationship with their half ghost little boy.

Saving the best for last, Danny adjusted surprisingly easily. Maybe he prepared himself for this during their ride of secrets and angst, or maybe keeping his secret all that time was less of a burden than having it public. No matter the reason, Danny seemed to welcome this new fame that came from revealing his identity. He never hid his transformations since that day or came up with excuses for his absences due to ghost attacks. Rather than shrieking and running away from ghostly infiltrators, citizens turned to confidently calling out for Danny and waiting for his prompt arrival that ensured their safety. The popular kids accepted him as their own but the trio never batted an eye. They happily stuck to their cozy group of three, much to the A-listers' offense.

Paulina, after offering to accept his unrequited feelings for her from all those naive years, was left steaming with his reply of "never in a million years." Valerie apologized for her hostility towards his ghost half and offered a truce. Danny in return shook her hand and walked away, not planning to get himself tangled in that mess again.

Along with old faces came the new. Fans came in a rush, engulfing him like wildfire. Hoards of girls followed him like lost puppies, hoping to get an autograph or a picture or even touch his shirt. His locker became stuffed to the brim with love letters, and despite his official relationship with Sam, was showered with confessions of their "hidden love" for him.

Poor Danny would never admit it, but a tiny part of him somewhere deep inside actually enjoyed this attention. Never before had he been sought after like this. In all honesty, it made him feel cool; the direct opposite of the loser he used to see himself as. And so he graciously thanked the fangirls and tentatively rejected their crazy crushes one after the other, often times hand in hand with the girl he loved.

Besides all the girl nonsense, Danny was extremely pleased with where he stood nowadays and felt utterly free. His shoulders were relieved of the weight of secrets, lies, and hiding. It seemed that everybody- Tuck, the Fenton family, and even Valerie- could hardly contain their smiles that came with this new lifestyle of transparency. Then there was Sam.

A fish out of water. That's what she felt like. Utterly suffocating from the air that was the tabloids, fans, and haters, she harbored the absolute need for her ocean: the shadows. She missed her fitting niche of a 'nobody' where she was able to walk down desolate streets without the flash of photographers. She missed eating at the Nasty Burger with her two best friends without having a napkin shoved in her face by some love-struck kid that would beg for an autograph. She missed not having to close her curtains or lock her bedroom door to read, write, or think in peace. Impractical rumors formed around her, haunting her online and through the halls of school.

She didn't like the fact there were blogs with her face on them, or that she was deemed unworthy by so many girls to be with Danny. It was so much easier not to care what people thought or said about her when it wasn't the whole world judging her. It was true that she had uncountable fans herself. She was praised and written as a role model, and she was rightly called beautiful. The goth individualist was even used as the newly discovered fashion muse. The seemingly perfect Samantha Manson that people made her to be was one she'd label shallow, and it annoyed her to no end. "If you're going to like me," she thought, "then at least like the real me. Idiots."

Then there were the guys. Oh, don't get her started. A good number of boys now drooled over her, and while some would find that flattering, she found it disgustingly creepy. She found all of it creepy. She hated it. She loathed the spotlight. She loathed the fame. She wanted to crawl back into the shadows, but you see, under the spotlight there are no shadows. There's nowhere to hide.

On her bed, flipping through a magazine dedicated to the news of the animal kingdom, Sam bathed in the relaxing scent of roses. Melting wax dripped down the misplaced candles that illuminated the room, giving the intentional atmosphere of calm. Her reading regarding the latest efforts of saving a soon-to-be endangered species was interrupted by a chill traveling down her spine. With a sigh, she called for her friend to come in.

Danny's dead form faded into sight in front of her bed, proceeding to flash into one of warm-blooded skin and bones. He sat by her side and read over her shoulders as she finished a paragraph until she closed the magazine and looked up at him expectantly.

"So, what's tonight? Horror, sci-fi?" and with a hint of refulgence, "Romance?"

"I'm thinking comedy," he replied, taking her by surprise.

She smiled at her own plan. "I know the perfect thing."

Sam got up to grab the remote and flipped through the channels on her flat screen TV. She chose a program featuring three men, one sporting a black tight t-shirt. He had abundant tattoos and spiked, gelled hair. The man and his crew were freaking out over a sudden noise. "Ghost Adventures? Seriously?" the boy snickered.

Sam smirked with her arms crossed, soaking up the delectable irony.

"Alright, alright," he surrendered. Calling for her to join him, Danny scooted back against a wall of pillows that laid against her headboard of iron pointed rods. Like every other night that they weren't busy fighting ghosts, Sam crawled up besides her boyfriend of a year-and-a-half and huddled against him.

Secured by his arm and the sense of their desolation, Sam relaxed her head against his chest and lazily watched the screen. Into the night the two sneered at the amateurs on the television, enjoying their secret escape from the newfound spotlight.


End file.
